PJM Board of Managers

The 10 members of the PJM Board of Managers are responsible for maintaining PJM's independence and, by exercising their prudent business judgment, ensuring that PJM fulfills its business obligations and legal and regulatory requirements.

The Board also is responsible for ensuring that PJM maintains the reliability of the power grid and operates a robust, competitive and non-discriminatory electric power market, preventing any market participants from having undue influence over the operation of PJM.

The members of the PJM Board may have no personal affiliation or ongoing professional relationship with, or any financial stake in, any PJM market participant.

In addition, all communication received by the PJM Board is handled in accordance with the rules relating to “ex parte” communications as outlined in the Code of Conduct. Written communication to members of the PJM Board is reviewed by an appointed staff liaison to the Board to ensure prompt disclosure of any “ex parte” communication in accordance with the Code of Conduct.

Brief profiles of the 10 members of the PJM Board and their contact information follow:

For more than 25 years, Dr. Almgren has led business entities providing electric equipment and systems. Since 2003, he has headed his own consulting company, Orkas Inc., which is focused on new energy technologies. Dr. Almgren was President and CEO of Capstone Turbine Corporation from 1998 to 2003. Prior to Capstone, he was president of several ABB companies, including ABB Power T&D Co., involved in electric transmission and distribution worldwide. Dr. Almgren currently serves on the Board of Awesense Inc. Previously, he served on the Department of Energy's Electricity Advisory Council.

Terry Blackwell

Mr. Blackwell has 36 years of experience in power system planning and operation. Most recently, he held the position of senior vice president of Power Delivery at Santee Cooper, where he had overall responsibility for Santee Cooper's transmission system, including compliance with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s Reliability Standards. Mr. Blackwell also served as chairman of the SERC board and served on other SERC board committees. He has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from North Carolina State University and is a licensed Professional Engineer in South Carolina.

Mr. Foster is a former member of the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the standards-setting body for financial accounting and reporting, on which he served for 10 years. A certified public accountant, he previously was vice president, treasurer and principal accounting officer of the former Compaq Computer Corp. and senior audit manager with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (formerly Price Waterhouse & Co.).

O.H. Dean Oskvig

Mr. Oskvig has more than 40 years of experience within the energy industry and served as president and chief executive officer of Black & Veatch Energy from 2006 to 2015, having been with the organization since 1975. From 1972 to 1975, he served as a base civil engineering officer in the United States Air Force. He earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Iowa and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Utah.

Andrew L. Ott

As president and chief executive officer, Mr. Ott oversees the largest power grid in North America and the largest electricity market in the world. Mr. Ott, a 20-year veteran with PJM, became the CEO in October of 2015. He also serves as a PJM Board member. Mr. Ott is Chair of CIGRE (International Council on Large Electric Systems) Study Committee C5, on Electricity Markets and Regulation. Mr. Ott is an IEEE Fellow. He is also a member of the Steering Board of GO 15 which is a voluntary initiative of the world’s 18 largest power grid operators. He also serves on the Board of the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies and served as a board member for the Association of Power Exchanges for eight years.

Ms. Riley most recently served as chief financial officer for Eastern Outfitters, LLC (formerly Vestis Retail Group, LLC). She is the chairman of the Board of comScore, Inc., a member of the board of Essendant Inc. and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Rochester Institute of Technology. She has served on the PJM Board since 2005. Previously, she was the executive vice president of Finance and Administration of The Children's Place. Prior to that, she served as senior vice president and CFO for Abercrombie & Fitch Company; senior vice president and CFO for Mount Sinai Medical Center of New York; vice president and treasurer for Colgate-Palmolive Company; executive vice president and CFO for Dial Corporation; and senior vice president, CFO and chief information officer for Tambrands, Inc. She was previously a certified public accountant.

Mr. Robinson serves as the vice president - Legal Affairs and General Counsel for the Regents of the University of California, where he is the chief legal officer. He previously served for seven years as vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary for the California ISO. Prior to that, Mr. Robinson was assistant general counsel and director of litigation for Packard Bell NEC, division counsel for Raychem Corporation, and was a partner at the Heller Herman White and McAuliffe law firm. He graduated with his Juris Doctor from Yale University in 1983 and earned his Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University in 1979.

Sarah S. Rogers

Ms. Rogers served as president and CEO of the Florida Reliability Coordinating Council from 2007 to her retirement in 2012. Prior to joining the reliability organization, she had served in a variety of positions with Progress Energy and its predecessors from 1984 to 2007. They included vice president – Transmission for Progress Energy, with responsibility for the electric transmission system covering 50,000 square miles in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida. She received an MBA from Duke University and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from San Diego State University.

Neil H. Smith

Mr. Smith retired as president and CEO of InterGen, Inc. in 2016. Having spent 25 years with the organization, he progressed from manager to director to vice president and ultimately served 10 years as president and chief executive officer of the global energy company. Mr. Smith was a board member for The Wood Group, PLC for nine years.

Mark Takahashi

Mr. Takahashi currently serves as chief financial officer of Ascendant Group Limited, parent company of Bermuda Electric Light Company Limited. He previously was group director and chief financial officer of CLP Holdings Limited, one of two vertically integrated electric utility companies in Hong Kong, from 2008 to 2014, having been with the organization from 2003. He earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Colorado and Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.